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Actually lets take as an example, private healthcare. In the U.S. the vast majority of health care is private. The U.S. has the highest healthcare costs in the world, three times as expensive as canada's per capita.

In the UK, the majority of health care is provided by the NHS. I cant find the link on google, but the the UK has one of the lower spends on health care per capita compared to most of the rest of Europe (about half that of france which is > 2000 pounds per capita per annum) and certainly less than the USA.

The argument pro government services is that the hospitals do not need to take a cut to keep their shareholders happy and it certainly seems to work in some cases.

'But, I paid extra for the service plan.'

'Well, it is covered under the service plan you purchased, but we can't fix it.' Then, to add insult to injury, 'If you'd like to buy a new one, we've got some great deals over in aisle 5 ...'

They've got a well-known rep for this practice. They've been sued by several State Attorney Generals http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/best_buy_ohi o.html because of the volume, consistency and recurrence of the complaints and other shady dealings http://www.engadget.com/entry/5103212665587422 of exactly the kind that sunk Sun Electronics here in Central Ohio years ago.

Give them 5 or 6 years, and they'll be closing stores and 'consolidating', before the final, merciful act of closing their doors forever.

I don't care how many Barrys, Jills and Buzzs they have as customers -- people with money just aren't *THAT* dumb!

It was not what I would call "perfectly capable", until we dropped another $100 to upgrade the memory from 256MB to 768MB

WinXP is so advanced it was taking 3-5 minutes to log in and out and reboot.

Oh, and then there was the several hours spent installing SP2, post-SP2 critical updates, updating the anti-virus software and configuring the firewall and other safety checks to try and keep the non-computer-oriented family owners safe from the Internet.

And haven't you read all the horror stories of cheapo Dell computers dying left and right?

That's why I point most people to an entirely different place [Apple.com] for choosing a new family or personal computer. They can't compete on the initial price point, but 4 years down the line you will still have a usable computer with amazing capabilities.

...then there was the several hours spent installing SP2...

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/index.html
http://cspinet.org/new/200312111.html
http://www.cspinet.org/letters/labeling_coupon.htm l
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Irrad/deceptivelab eling02.cfm
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/malt_beverag es.html
etc.

Sorry, I just assumed everyone could google.

> if a car manufacturer makes cars with easily defeated locks, or locks that sometimes don't work, can the owner of the car sue the car company for damages if the car is stolen? They could try, but it probably won't get far just on that argument.

I wouldn't be so sure. Nissan is being sued for failing to make headlights theft-resistant. Headlights! Thiefs are stealing the HID bulbs and selling them. See http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/nissan_nj.ht ml

On another note:
>You drive that old pickup at your own risk.

Bullshit. Small airplane manufacturers were sued for planes that were 20+ years old. Many of them went into bankruptcy or out of business entirely. IIRC, Congress did eventually pass a law (over the objections of trial lawyers, natch) that said that you couldn't sue for accidents involving any small plane that was over 17 years old (the theory being that if it didn't crash that long, it was OK).

God help us all if the IRS used anything like intrusive 'pop-ups' to collect their taxes. Those annoying animated gif ads would be th real world equivalent of a neon sign in your bedroom. The shockwave ads with sound/video = the IRS taking over your radio & TV.

Google advertising is about getting people into the store while advertising in general has always been about getting people to buy something specific and/or brand recognition. Very few companies can afford to make money without selling a physical product and before the internet they were mostly called "Marketing Firms". Google isn't a marketing firm, so good luck to them.

A friend of mine lost the use of her computer which she needed for work because of an email virus a while back. Considering that it was an Outlook Express exploit, it was Microsoft's shoddy programming that resulted in the loss of livelihood. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a class action lawsuit like the one filed against FireStone. If a company distributes a faulty product, they are liable and have to recall the product. I don't understand why someone can sue McDonald's for getting burned by coffee, yet Microsoft's liability with regards to a faulty product affected by viruses and exploits has gone unchallenged for years.

Maybe they've realised that there could be a huge looming class action lawsuit, like the FireStone one, as a result of their shoddy programming and are trying to quietly fix the problem. I'm surprised why they haven't been hit with one already, since people's livelihoods are at stake with these security issues. Why else would they publicise it themselves? And no, you wouldn't be a pessimist, you would be an optimist.

.Mac Email complaints.

Lots of other complaints from Mac Users.

Is it only the slashdot geek crowd that's happy with Apple ?

.Mac Email complaints.

Lots of other complaints from Mac Users.

Is it only the slashdot geek crowd that's happy with Apple ?

I guess companies tend to become a little greedy and overzealous given a chance.....

MBNA is one of the worst offending credit cards for behaviour and scams. If you give them any information about you they will hound you night and day with telemarketing calls, and that is not the worst of it.

MBNA has been the subject of class action lawsuits:

• MBNA Canada Bank Named in Class Action Lawsuit
• Google Search for MBNA Suits
• Fleet, Citigroup, MBNA Impose No-Lawsuit Clause On Cardholders
• MBNA credit card interest Class Action

I suggest you stay far away from them!

Absolutely true. However they do issue some sort of debit card. Doesn't that make them a bank? I know that actions have been taken against them for acting like a bank and not actually being one before. I think they were fined. Maybe some stronger action needs to be taken

Just be sure to leave a fake name and address when they ask...

500,000 people in the US go bankrupt every year due to medical costs, thats nearly 2% of the total Canadian population every year!

I love this. Especially the SEC report on Microsoft. I myself had no such luck searching the SEC website, but I'm attributing that to short attention span and lack of interesting in learning about that search engine. Goolge has provided, on the other hand, what seems to be lacking from the article. An explination of exactly WHY Nintendo's profits fell.

But in the end, does that really matter? Nintendo lost 26 Million. Microsoft is loosing a quarter of a Billion dollars every quarter this thing goes on. And desipte the nay sayers which come out of unholy holes whenever Nintendo's on the board, when its the turn for the Xbox usually the spectacular loss gets a footnote for the entire article. Blah.

And no one's willing to try and touch Sony. I mean, doesn't anyone remember this??? I know I sure as hell do. And that's when it started.

On of the biggest secrets of the PS2 are Disc read errors. Well, it's actually not so big of a secret. When you get buisness offering to fix your game console becuase Sony won't, you've found a pretty significant problem. Granted, the Xbox has the same thing, but my understanding is that those have been overcome. Sony has denied that this is a problem. How many people have heard they where sued over it??

I'm spouting rhetoric now and will stop. My point that negative attention about either Sony or MS rarely gets published on gaming websites stands. These are examples, and I'm pretty sure that given some creative manuvers i can find more, but I need to get back to work. :)

which only makes the mobile and the base station turn up the power level, increasing the health hazard......
Slightly off topic, but...
Actually, studies are showing cell phones are not dangerous.

Known defects include stalling when making a turn, catching fire, unexpected acceleration, wheels falling off, etc. And Ford doesn't have enough $$$ to pay all the claims, so they try to blow you off. That's why the morale problem at Ford is so well-known.

Normally I don't respond to some AC posting drivel, but this one begs a response. A patent covers a particular drug, not a type of drug. If you are able to treat the same disease in the exact same way without technically infringing the patent, more power to you. If you need to rip off someone else's idea without compensating them, that is when the law steps in. You just refuted your own argument, successfully I might add, when you said that drug companies will not allow cheap African production since the drugs would find their way into other markets. This has already happened in the U.S. Like I said before, if you take the profit out of drug development then say goodbye to any future drugs. Yes, this is harsh for people of the developing world but it won't work any other way. Perhaps Mr. AC would like to log in and post a reply? Nah, I doubt he has the guts.

I thought Congress and the President did pass a do not call list bill??

http://consumeraffairs.com/news03/dnc_law.html

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned another sucky (and suspicious) thing about the do-not-call list. The list will be maintained by AT&T, who had the lowest bid for the FTC project. This is the same AT&T who has been #1 on the FCC's list of telemarketer complaints for 2001, 2002, and 2003 YTD. Maybe the FCC and FTC should have spoke with one another before the FTC gave AT&T the $3.5 million contract.

The FCC's data show that 5,714 consumer complaints were lodged against AT&T's telemarketing activities in 2001, 2002 and the first three months of 2003. That's 22 percent more than the number of complaints about MCI, AT&T's perennial Number 2.

"AT&T Will Run Do-Not-Call List: Fox Again Wins Henhouse Contract"

the consumers get slammed for stealing.

Run that by me again? What long-distance company are they forced to use, ZPDI? (That would be cruel)

Unfortunately, the national do-not-call list will be run by AT&T, who placed the lowest bid for the FTC project. AT&T has also been #1 on the FCC's list of telemarketing complaints for the past three years. Maybe the FTC and FCC should get together and talk sometime..

AT&T Will Run Do-Not-Call List: Fox Again Wins Henhouse Contract

Unfortunately I was hoping the act would cover:
"It's ok for consumer's to copy and trade music because the record companies have been overcharging people for years."

It's a good thing to update the DMCA, but it would be really nice if it covered the whole playing field, not just restrictions on digital practices.

Looking back on the recording companies illegal practices of MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) that they've been doing for years, this article states:
"The FTC estimates that U.S. consumers may have paid as much as $480 million more than they should have for CDs and other music because of these policies over the last three years."

It is finally being settled, article here.

Considering that this was brought to court in 2000, you can probably tack on another
(480 million / 3 years) * 2 years = $320 million
So basically the RIAA owes you and me about $800 million.

Considering that they say they've lost $600 million in record sales because of digital piracy, and they are being fined another $143 million for MAP, they just owe us another $57 million dollars and we can call it even.

Read what others have to say about their experiences with Tiger Direct before you place any orders: Consumer Affairs

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computers/tiger_dir ect.htm .

doesn't look too good.. but then again, if you're a performance enthuasist would you pay 1000-2000 extra for something worth 100$-200$. watercooling can be had for 100$ and 400 will get you vapochill/mx3-eva type cooling(and the raid hd's and other stuff isn't worth it even unless you're unable to read, in which case buying a computer isn't very useful)..

Really? I don't know how true this link is though, but a lot of info I've found points to the same thing. Hrmmm..

> One way for small businesses to deal with the problem would be to avoid it by using Paypal. They're a reputable financial institution

Tell me, what color is sky in your world?
Or Let me ask it like This...
What Color Is The Sky In Your World?

• The phone company in most states is terrified of the PUC.

Threats alone aren't always effective, it seems.

I think it may be a cynical game played by the Baby Bells. If the fines are less than what it costs to actually improve service, they'll pay the fines.

Likewise, when you complain and get good service, it may well be that this is just part of a campaign on the part of the service provider to get something from the PUC in the future or to eliminate evidence in an already started investigation.

My father died (in Canada), of a ruptured aortic anurysm.

Medical malpractice occurs in every health care system. Condemning a whole system based on one possible example is unreasonable.

I think it better that people die for lack of money to save themselves than lack of technology to save them...

These alternatives in no way describe the difference between Canadian and American health care. Every western country except the U.S. has adopted some system of public health insurance to allow universal access to health care.

...Canadian health care was barbaric by comparison.

Canadian health care is not barbaric by any standard. What's absurd, if not barbaric, is the fact that half of the one million Americans who file for bankruptcy each year do so because of medical bills and other problems arising from serious illness or injury. It's a problem that does not occur in Canada.

It's a great idea, but you really can't call it annotated. There are links in each C&D letter to a FAQ, but it's all boilerplate stuff - for example, the EnronOwnsTheGOP C&D and vivendiuniversalsucks.com C&D basically have the same annotation, such as "what constitutes trademark dilution."

It's a great introduction to those who aren't familiar with the difference between copyright and trademark, for example. It'd be nice to have some actual annotations by lawyers. A good site with this kind of content is Consumer Affairs. They have Real Live Lawyers who read consumer complaints and give their opinion on who's at fault, what the relevant laws are, etc. I'd love to see one of these C&D letters ripped apart by a lawyer, e.g. 'this is clearly a parody that falls under fair use.'